Pages

Wednesday, November 26, 2014

THE BOSTON BOMBERS?

The Red Sox front office and ownership have never been shy about tossing a subtle jab at anything and everything concerning the New York Yankees. In recent years it has been mostly bluster. Boston has done well for itself in the past decade. They have put it together, stopped blaming imaginary curses and played championship baseball. As Yankee fans all we can do is tip our cap. The thing that has always bothered me is the way the Sox see themselves with respect to the Yanks. How do they figure that this is anything but a good old-fashioned neighborhood rivalry? It certainly is not in terms of overall titles. New York and St. Louis are closer to a rivalry in that sense. No, the Yanks and the Sawks are not Army Navy (A rather close overall record…until recently. GO NAVY!). Boston is a great town and NEW YORK is the best CITY. That’s it. But now that Bean town has won a few they talk like they invented the game.

Cast your mind back just a year ago when the chatter out of Yawkey Way was, “Well, the Yankees spend big routine is so old. They are stuck in the past.” Okay, no crazy argument here. I agree that the formula the club is using seems like the 1980’s and that wasn’t much fun to watch…and making the playoffs was pretty much out of the equation. But I have a question for the holier than thou Boston Red Sox.

What is the difference in what you just did signing the Kung Fu Panda and Hanley “TOO EXPENSIVE” Ramirez? You missed the post season, had a dismal year, threw up the white flag and poked your often-impatient fan base with a stick. So you panicked. You opened the big red purse and overpaid for two players (with more to come if the rumors hold up.) Seems that that is the same ancient thinking you bashed the Bombers for employing. So basically what I am trying to convey is don’t run your mouth and then do the EXACT same thing.

Will Boston be better with their new acquisitions? I’d say, barring injury or Pablo finding lots of chowda and Italian food in the North End, they will be. The Sox still need pitching in a big way and I would have advised them to spend their cash on arms not big bellies and cranky hammies. But hey, I don’t work for the Red Sox.

I think the Yankees need to be disciplined this year. They have players that can do the job. Target Chase Headley and pitching. They don’t need to get Mad Max (Though it’d be nice). Sign McCarthy and Hamels to steady that rotation. It was surprisingly solid last year. We have no idea what we will get from CC, but let’s be positive shall we.

Phase 2 would be phasing out ARod and finding Tex a quiet room to sit in during big spots in the game. Tell him to stay put, shut the door and lock it up until the fans have left the stadium. Tex is lousy. I am not retracting that. We need to purge these guys from the roster…painful as it may be on the wallet.

Phase 3 is to LET THE KIDS PLAY! We need to see what we have on the farm. Some of them ARE ready now! The Yankees can still win the East with the same formula they used in the 1990’s. Invest in pitching, let the farm bare fruit and fill holes with cost effective free agents that know their roles. Let the Sox buy the world up. It tends not to work…

**Save your advice and the pretentious talk, Boston. You ain’t no friend of mine.**